Evening Sitting.

Thames Star, Volume X, Issue 3364, 3 October 1879, Page 2

Evening Sitting.

The House assembled at 7.30, when Mr Shanks moved the debate be further adjourned till 10 minutes to eight o'clock, which was put and carried. The Premier then moved that; the Standing Orders be suspended to enable the House to go into Committee of Supply to pass a deficiency Bill of £180,000 redered necessary in consequence of informalities having been discovered in the Bill authorising the raising of £400,000 in virtue of Public Works Act.

Mr Hall said as the proceeding; was merely formal, and one which did not involve the borrowing of the money already raised, he would not oppose it. In answer to Mr McLean, the Premier .said that the Bill had nothing to do with the notice given by the Bank of New Zealand to terminate the agreements entered into with the Government.

Mr McLean said that he considered tha Bank had suffered in the hands of the Government, and the Bank had great cause to cofcoplain in the circumstances, j .Replying to Mr Johnson, the Premier said this £80.000 had been authorised by an order in Council, and it had bren held that that was valid authority for raising tho money. The resolution for framing the bill was then put and carried. DEBATE BESUMED. Mr Seddon resumed the debate on the no-confidence amendment. He contended that the result of the appeal made to the country showed that the voice of tbe people was with the Government, it was I in the mining centres that they could see what would be the effect of manhood suffrage. The speaker went on to review various points discassed by previons speakers, and took Masters, of Greymouth, to task for haviug deserted his hustings pledge, insisting that he secured his' election under a distinct pledge to support the Government, and he appealed to the Opposition to release him from his Ipledge. Mr Whitaker said that he intended voting with the Opposition. The previous speaker had taken Mr Masters to task for having dared to avow himself favorable to the Opposition, and his sp&ech on that head lead him to suppose that what he aimed at was to hand over a block vote to the Government, in consideration of something like a million of money being spent on the Grey Valley railway. The basis of a true Liberal policy was the incidents of taxation, and yet not a word was said on that score in the Ministerial programme. Although no financial statement had been made, it was a well known fact that a very considerable deficit existed in the revenue, and yet no word was said as to how that deficiency was to be met. He also complained that no indication had been give.n as to what was proposed to be done' towards the improvement of local selfgovernment. It was, as it stood, notoriously defective, and yet not a word was said on the subject. He complained that in the matter of railway construction the Premier had shown great partiality towards tbe Thames district which he lately represented, to the neglect of the -adjoining—d istriots, -more ~egpe»ial !y thodistrict he (Mr Whitaker) represented. He made a similar complaint with regard to the matter of reserves, Thames municipality haviug been largely endowed. He condemned the use made of the Government steamer in tho late election. Referring to the Liberal sentiments enunciated by the Premier, he said they were simply a repetition of the sentiments laid down by Carlylo and other great writers, and he objected to him (the Premier) coming to this House and attempting to palm them off as his own original ideas ; further he objected to_ it being said, he was alone the representative of the House. Tho principles enunciated would, and must be brought into law, whether the Premier was in tho House or at Kawau, or in his long home.

Major Te Wheoro said he came to the House simply to represent native matters, and he was with whoever would bring forward measures for the welfare of the natives.

Mr DeLatour said that he felt they had gradually arrived at a very important crisis in the history of the colony. Some of the charges made against the Government were to his mind serious, still they were counteracted. The Government should they be defeated ought to be succeeded by a Ministry comprised of the ablest men in the colony, independent of the question as to what part of the colony they belonged to, still he would be inclined to look upon a Canterbury Ministry with some misgiving. They had been told by members that they had advocated Liberalism for 15 or 20 years, but it was 'reserved for the Premier to bring forward that Liberalism in the Parliament with a vieTT of giving practical effect to

it. A well defined division apparatus was gradually being established in the House, and he h kI no doubt limr. line of demarcation would yet become better defined. Local measures no doubt regulated these matters to some extent, and he was sorry to see that a most striking example came from his old province, that of Otago. It cropped up in the form of questions as to whether the railway workships and the highly-paid officers were to be established in their midst. He went on to quote from speeches delivered by the leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council, in which he said that he did not consider that because ono was bound lo obey laws ho did not thereby necessarily require a voice in the making of these laws. He would ask if those were the sentiments of a true Liberal.

At 12.30 the House adjourned on the motion of Mr Bowen. The Hon. Mr Sheehan and Mr WakeGeld will speak to-morrow.